Thursday, August 31, 2006

An unusual type of swimwear is standing out on Turkish beaches this summer -- Islam-inspired swimsuits -- which buck the trend of the past 100 years for swimsuits to get smaller. Turkish businessman Mehmet Sahin has designed what he says is the world's first Islam-inspired swimsuit and sells head-to-ankle bathing gear to devout well-heeled Muslims, including the wives of Turkey's leading politicians."We are the preferred firm of the conservative politicians' wives," he told Reuters in an interview, referring to members of the ruling AK Party, which has its roots in political Islam and came to power in 2002.It is still a small market, but Sahin's growing clientele is another sign of the rising profile of Islam in traditionally secular Turkey.His brightly-colored women's swimming costumes look like shiny track-suits with stretchy hoods, while the racier models are like catsuits with a separate overall to cover the curves.